The crew of Serenity are eager to rid themselves of an easily traceable cargo, they salvaged from a vessel adrift in space, totally unaware that a passenger has brought an even more dangerous cargo aboard

Okay you know when I said in the poll that I thought Firefly was better than okay but not as good as the rest of you guys think?

I haven't changed my mind ;)

Serenity was just about the last episode I watched before the 3 missing ones appeared (I'd seen the rough cut originally) and I remember saying at the time that I thought it was a good pilot and Fox should be shot for rejecting it. I still do think that but didn't enjoy it that much this time around.

I was thinking along the lines that its too short a time since the first time around but realised from the date on the file that its two years since it was shown and I watched it. Maybe I'm just not enthused by rewatches in general but I've quite enjoyed the B5 eps so far.

I did enjoy it a bit but it didn't in all honesty enthuse me to watch the next or the rest. I did notice one thing in that I thought Inara looked more attractive this time around :)

This doesn't affect my judgement of the series, conciously at least, but I'd thought I'd get it out in the open before its mentioned. In all honesty I'd rather have had another season of Dark Angel than Firefly.

I am the board heretic :evil:

The thing I like most about Serenity is that, with the exception of the opening scene, it feels like an ordinary episode of the series, which I guess makes it a pretty damn good pilot. In fact, as pilots go, it is one of the best I can remember.

Several of the characters seem to slot right into place straight away: Zoe, Wash, Inara and Kaylee are all right on the mark (Wash's first dialogue is still among my favourites from any episode), and more especially Mal and Jayne. River's River, I suppose, and you either like her or find her irritating (never had a problem with her, myself). Simon takes a while to develop, and those sunglasses didn't do him any favours in his first shot (he looks like a bad participant at a Matrix fancy dress party). Book's the one who is most out of character, imo, particularly in the last scene he has with Inara, and keeping in mind the later hints at his backstory (not to mention that he doesn't seem all that bothered by the crew's actions in later episodes).

Favourite bits: well, the chase with the Reavers through Windfall's atmosphere is quite spectacular, although I prefer the first flyby of the Reaver ship because it is just so tense and menacing; Jayne's planned torture of Lawrence is always good for a laugh, as is his testing the radio and his exasperation at Mal walking away from the Badger situation ("10 percent of nothing is...let me do the math. Nothing, and nothing, carry the nothing..." :lol: ); Mal and Inara's first bit of banter; Mal striding onto the ship and shooting Lawrence. There are probably more.

Did I mention the music? I like the music - not just the theme tune but the incidental music too - it's very unobtrusive, which is good, but when you do pay attention to it it is also very good. That last sentence didn't make a lot of sense...

Anyway, my favourite scene of all is the last one because it tells us so much about Mal in such simple terms. He is fiercely loyal to his crew and very much believes in what he is doing. And he is a man with a certain code of honour ("When I shoot you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me and you'll be armed"), but above all else he loves flying in Serenity. I think I would, too.

A great start.

Mine won't be as brainy as the other twos but thought i'd chip in with my two cents :)

The first time i watched this i had listened to Rob rattle on for days about how great Firefly was and i was extremely sceptical...on first viewing i didn't know this was a double length episode and so about half way through i was thinking 'god this is going on forever' and it didn't exactly endear itself to me....however, after watching the next couple of episodes i was hooked :rolleyes:

Anyway, Serenity....

I think this is the best pilot episode of any show i have seen :thumbsup: It jumps straight into the action and you feel as though you already know the characters. The settings and music are both amazing and they bring the whole show together IMO.

Everything has pretty much already been said, but one final point...by the end of this episode you're thinking to yourself 'Joss has done it again' :D

Bring on the next episode! :clap:

Can't really add too much to Steve's review on this one. As pilots go I'd agree this is without doubt one of the best I've seen. Loved the Reaver sequences as well. And one of the series' best jokes; Jayne's testing of the radio.

In fact that didn't really add anything further to Steve's review :lol:

Wash:- "Everything looks good from here... (beat...playing with plastic dinosaurs over his console) Yes. Yes, this is a fertile land, and we will thrive."
(as Stegosaurus) "We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... 'This Land'."
(as T-Rex) "I think we should call it...your grave!"
(Stegosaurus) "Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"
(T-Rex) "Ha ha HA! Mine is an evil laugh...now die!"

Jayne:- "Testing, testing. Captain, can you hear me?"
Mal:- "I'm standing right here."
Jayne:- "You're coming through good and loud."
Mal:- " 'Cause I'm standing right here."

:lol:

Well, finally managed to stay awake and watch the whole of the pilot.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THIS WAS CANCELLED?

Even from the first episode I can tell that this is an excellent series. It appears to be well written, its funny in places, with some great one liners, the main characters are all interesting (in particular THE AMBASSADOR - she can work her trade on me anytime!!!!) and it left enough questions unanswered to keep you wanting more.

I am not saying it is the best pilot I have ever seen but it certainly must be up there.

Which all makes the fact that it only lasted 14 episodes the wierdest most unfair, most baffling decision ever!!!

Looking forward to watching some more. If it wasnt for the fact that it is 12-45 and I have work in the morning I might have watched more now!!!

The ratings were crap and Fox wouldn't give it a chance to build them up.

Oh Sorry, you want a more "noble" answer ;)

Just give him the simple answer; It was sci-fi and had the misfortune to air on Fox ;)

And they showed the episodes out of order, took them off every other week to show baseball. Same old thing. :angry:

See Ken, we told you you'd liketo it :thumbsup:

As pilots go, Serenity is about the best I've seen. I love the fact that we're thrown straight into the action. I must admit to always feeling sad, with the big close up on Mal's face, at the end of the Serenity Valley battle. It's not just the war he's lost, he loses his faith at that point, and you can see it in his face. :(

What I love so much about Firefly, is it's so obvious that the entire cast are having a blast, playing these beautifully complex characters. Joss has always had the knack of inventing characters that you warm to, straight away. It's incredibly hard to have nine central characters, and give them all enough screen time to develop their characters, whilst continuing the overall story. I think with Firefly, Joss finally pulls it off :thumbsup:

I love the Reaver sequence, it's understated, whilst builds tension beautifully, and my hand is literally in my mouth, as we have the excruciating wait, to see if the Reavers will stay on course. Zoe doesn't help, describing in full detail what would happen if they boarded. Something along the lines of "They'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And if we're very very lucky, they'll do it in that order" :fear:

At this point, I better tell you all, that me screen name 'Persephone' is a mere coincidence, I assumed the name before I'd seen Firefly :lol: :lol:

Fav quote from this ep:

Book Do you mind if I say Grace?
Mal Only if you say it outloud

Already we have unanswered questions. Who had River, what did they do to her, and why do they want her back?

Fantastic :thumbsup: - that sums up this episode and the whole series perfectly :D

The first thing I noticed and that stood out was the CGI and cinematography, it all looked very stylish, shiny and new. From Mal pulling back his coat to reveal his gun with the sun beating off it to the ship outrunning the reavers with the shaky camera angles.

You can tell from the very start that this is gonna be another sad show, with the look in Mal’s eyes as Alliance ships surround him in the battle for serenity valley. You barely know the character but you feel so sorry for him, imo only Mr Whedon can pull this off. The sad part in the theme tune where it shows us Simon and River also makes this more apparent. The relationships between all the characters work very well and no one sticks out as annoying (although Wash was verging on annoying towards the end). The characters personalities are also very lovable, especially Jayne

Mal: You've only got to scare him.
Jayne: Pain is scary. :lol:

The theme tune is also top notch and fits the theme of the show perfectly, who would have thought that “Space Cowboys” would work, not only work but prove to be compelling – Just one of the many things that sets the show apart from many other cult shows :)

The pilot leaves you hanging with unanswered questions and a thirst for more, the shows fate is criminal :(

I'm currently on a mission to spread the word of Firefly to as many people as possible. I've almost worn my mother down, and there are a couple of people at work who are beginning to realise it would be easier all around if they just said yes :P

:thumbsup: Just watched this again and it was plain beautiful :tear:

No adverts, amazing cinematogrophy, the filming, love the zooms, quick flash backs.

I don't understand why Fox thought that there wasn't enough action in it, are they crazy.
The opening battle scenes setting up the back history of Mal & Zoe, the scavenging of the ship under the noses of the alliance, the realisation they have a mole, the discovery of River, the close call with the reavers, the battle with Patience and her mob, the Reaver's chase :thumbsup:

It is a really great pilot for a series, it introduces a very large cast and several themes in great detail.

Of course the mole couldn't be trusted, he wanted to eat Doyle's brains and tried to keep Buffy in a hell dimension :lol:

:lmao:

:lol: I'll never trust him again :lol:

No, just tw*ts :rolleyes:

Absolutely!

I first saw this as a grainy downloaded copy and remember thinking it wasn't that good. I just about agreed with Fox that it wasn't a good enough pilot, mainly because there wasn't enough material for a 90 minute opener. But the main failing for Serenity was the fact it didn't give us any decent bad guys. The Alliance had possibility, but there wasn't nearly enough focus on why Mal was against everything they stand for. We didn't know why they were supposed to be evil, we didn't see anything of their capabilities. We didn't see anything of the capability of the Reavers either, just a little chase through an atmosphere. That was my main gripe with Serenity, from what I recall.

But I saw the DVD copy this afternoon (with commentary) and I did change my mind a bit. The production values are really noticable on DVD, whereas this wasn't the case for the d/l copy. I still think there wasn't enough material for a 90 minute show, but having seen what a pigs ear Fox made of the rest of the show, I'd much rather have tweaked this than had a whole new pilot. Joss made some good points on commentary about why Fox rejected it and I still have sympathy for Fox's decision. There was more on the Alliance than I remembered (the hints at what had been done to River) but still no reason for Mal to be so against them. It still had failings, but I enjoyed it more on a repeat viewing, which I suppose is a good thing. The commentary helped immensely, there were more funny bits in that than in the episode.

The first episode was brillient, watching part 2 later on! Can't wait! :thumbsup:

Wow Part 2 was brill, very funny in parts. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: tis rather excellent isn't it :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Yes!

All I can say is BRILLIANT :thumbsup:

Just got the show on DVd and watched this last night. Superb stuff. The characters are fascinating, well acted, well written. Superb stuff all the way

:thumbsup: Another Browncoat amongst us :thumbsup:

Hoorah! :thumbsup:

I had a sudden urge for Firefly last night so I watched Serenity. I love this show, from the initial heist to Mal and Simons mini showdown at the end :thumbsup:

The first time I watched this I remember being really upset and worried when Kaylee was shot, which is pretty unusual for a character you have just met, and then when Mal plays his mean trick on Simon and tells him she's dead :o I could have killed him!!! :lol:

I must admit I wasn't expecting too much from Firefly. Although I'd heard nothing but good reviews I wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea as I'm generally not into shows set on spaceships. Boy was I wrong! I loved it :thumbsup:

It had all the hallmarks of a Joss Whedon show - moving from moments which are very sad (the opening sequence on the battlefield) to moments that are laugh-out-loud funny (Wash playing with the dinosaurs). As a pilot episode it did a good job establishing the characters. I wouldn't say it's the best pilot I've seen (that would be the Alias pilot), but it is certainly one of the best. The characters are well developed and the actors seem to be really comfortable in their roles, especially Adam Baldwin who seems to be having the time of his life as Jayne. I didn't think much of Nathan Fillion as Caleb on Buffy, but I think he's great as Mal.

Not sure I like the sound of the Reavers :fear:

Can't think of anything else to say, except I can't wait to see more!

One question though, where did the Fed get the knife from to cut himself free?

One of lifes little mysteries ;)

Glad you enjoyed it EG. We always welcome new converts :thumbsup:

As many people have already said this is a great pilot, one that takes great care in introducing all the main characters in such a way that you feel you know them already :D

BTW - what do you think of the theme tune?

:ponder: :unsure: :stoopid: Why the suits at Fox didn't think this is a mystery.

:yahoo: Glad you enjoyed it, you will love the series, btw it becomes addictive viewing

:thumbsup:

I really like the theme tune, although I can't get it out of my head now!

It has that effect on most people :lol:

All together now -

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me

take me out
to the black tell 'em I ain't coming back
burn the land
and boil the sea
you can't take the sky from me

There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can't take the sky from me...

:group:

:tear: I need to hear it now :lol:

I'll be singing this all evening now :lol:

Good job I really don't mind :thumbsup: ;)

:thumbsup: Watched this again just now as I couldn't resist, it still has an impact every time I see it :thumbsup:

Favourites:

Mal's look of disappointment as his back up ships don't come and they are left to the Alliance.

The dinosaur sequence

The look of Serenity outside and in

Kaylee's parasol & deck chair

The strawberry

Kaylee being shot
:o

Mal punching Simon & Jayne's reaction

Simon's rush to see Kaylee after Mal tells him she is dead

Jayne testing the radios

Mal's speech to Patience - We do the job, we get paid :lol:

The Reaver chase, also love the Reaver ship design :thumbsup:

Mal's scene at the end - We're still flying - thats not much - its enough :thumbsup:

I finally watched my DVD for the first time last Friday so I came to Firefly completely fresh ready to post for Shona on Monday but I thought I might as well post here too.

Maybe it all makes a lot more sense when you have watched all the episodes but I felt completely baffled. Maybe I was not paying enough attention but just what the hell was going on. I remember one of George Lucas' contempories saying to him 'what the hell was that all about' after seeing Star Wars for the first time so prompting him to add the famous scrolling text in an effort to orientate the viewer. Something like that might not have gone amiss here.

When Blakes 7 was repeated a while ago the first episode(Space Fall?) was a lot easier to follow than this. I mention Blakes 7 because that was what seemed like something of an influence to me. Is the Alliance like the Federation?

The opening gripping minutes also felt like Starship Troopers with the production values being commendable.

Overall maybe a 5/10 but I was not sure what to make of it all. sk